Overview of UMD Athletics

Overview

Now in its 82nd year of operation, the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics continues to maintain one of the most competitive and well-balanced programs of its size in the country.

Fourteen of UMD’s 16 teams - baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, football, women’s soccer, softball, women’s tennis, men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, and women’s volleyball - are members of the NCAA Division II Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The UMD men’s and women’s ice hockey programs, which compete in NCAA Division I, are currently aligned with the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and in 2013-14 the men will join the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

Twelve Bulldogs attained All-American status of some kind in their respective sports one year ago; sports represented were hockey, football, volleyball, softball, and track.

Nationally speaking, the Bulldogs placed 45th in the 2011-12 NCAA Division II Learfield Directors’ Cup all-sports standings. UMD racked up 331 points, as points were awarded based on each institution’s national finish in up to 14 sports. Three years ago, UMD wound up 18th (an all-time high) in that same competition and was 27th in 2010-11. The Bulldogs qualified for 2011-12 NCAA post-season competition in women’s basketball, women’s cross country, men’s hockey, (where it advanced to the national quarterfinals after winning the National Championship the previous year), softball, women’s outdoor track, and women’s volleyball (for a program-best 10th straight year).

Over the last 20 years, UMD varsity teams have won a combined 46 conference championships, earned 18 team NCAA playoff berths, and won 8 team or individual NCAA National Titles.

Student Athlete Participation

Baseball

39

Hockey - W

22

Basketball - M

14

Soccer - W

25

Basketball - W

16

Softball

15

Cross Country - M

18

Tennis - W

6

Cross Country - W

32

Track In/Out - M

71

Football

104

Track In/Out - W

66

Hockey - M

26

Volleyball - W

15

Student Athletes

UMD athletics prides itself in not only excellence on the field, but in the classroom as well. Last year, 162 student athletes earned All-Conference Academic honors, 16 of which were named to the WCHA all-academic team. With a cumulative athletic department GPA of 2.995, 13 turned in a perfect 4.0 GPA and 82 achieved over a 3.5. Six senior athletes were awarded the Myles Brand Award for a cumulative graduating GPA over 3.75. Two bulldogs received Academic All-American recognition. Additionally, over the past quarter century, 94% of student athletes who participated in a varsity sport graduated in four years.

Community ServiceCommunity service work has, for the most part, been a focal point of Bulldog athletics since its inception. UMD student athletes, as well as coaches and staff, continuously seek opportunities to volunteer their time and reciprocate the support that Duluth and the surrounding communities has generously given Bulldog athletics for the past eight decades.

Youth Camps

UMD's head coaches, staff, and team members give outstanding instruction in the basic fundamentals, competitive strategies, and beginning/advanced skills in each sport. Each camp offers the opportunity to experience professional instruction and enjoy exciting competition while training in the University's athletic facilities. The camps contribute to each player's sense of sportsmanship, confidence, and overall athletic performance. Camps are offered at various times of the year in baseball, basketball, football, hockey, soccer, and volleyball.

Facilities

Romano Gymnasium
Romano Gymnasium, a 2,758-seat facility, opened in 1953. Romano Gymnasium has been a welcome home to the University of Minnesota Duluth women’s volleyball and men and women’s basketball teams. The gymnasium underwent a $2 million facelift following the 1986 season.

James S. Malosky Stadium
Northern Minnesota's premier outdoor athletic venue, James S. Malosky Stadium, has been the home of Bulldog football for the past 46 seasons and to UMD women's soccer since its inception in 1994. In 1999, Malosky Stadium, a 4,500 seat facility, underwent a $1.6 million facelift, complete with the installation of a new football playing surface - which was replaced five years later with A-Turf - along with an eight-lane, all-weather track. In 2009, a $6.5 million, four- level structure, which houses a concession area, club room and press facilities, was added to the grandstand.

Sports and Health Center
An addition to the Sports and Health Center was completed in August 2006. The two-level 46,000-square foot facility provides state-of-the-art weight training and cardio equipment for UMD students and athletes.

AMSOIL Arena
On December 30, 2010, AMSOIL Arena opened as a 6,726-seat hockey arena. The $80 million facility was a true collaborative financial effort, with the State of Minnesota, the City of Duluth, UMD, and the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. Twin Ports-based company AMSOIL paid $6 million for a 20-year hold on the building’s naming rights.

AMSOIL Arena contains 15 suites, offering private food and beverage service along with high definition monitors and seating for 16. In addition, the Bulldog Club Lounge, located on the main level adjacent to one of the finest and most spacious press boxes in college hockey, serves as a gathering space for UMD athletic donors and supporters.

The lower level features state-of-the-art men and women’s hockey offices and facilities, a weight room and athletic training center, player’s lounges, two large hydro therapy pools (one of which features a treadmill in its base) and other amenities that rival any other school in the nation.

Bulldog Park
The UMD baseball team plays its home games at Bulldog Park which is located adjacent to Griggs Field. Originally constructed in 1988, Bulldog Park's grass field was reconditioned in 2000.

Junction Avenue Field
Junction Avenue Field is the long-time, on-campus home for UMD softball. This natural grass complex, which is lighted for night play, was built in 1987 and has seating for approximately 250 spectators.

Ward Wells Field House
Located adjacent to Malosky Stadium and the Sports and Health Center is Ward Wells Field House. It is the off season and preseason practice site for track, football, softball, tennis, and baseball. The 1/10 mile track rounds an area that contains regulation basketball courts, tennis courts, and a volleyball court.